Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with United States President Donald Trump in Florida on Monday AEDT to discuss plans to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy is expected to present a 20-point plan to his US counterpart, saying “a lot can be decided before the New Year”.
But Trump told US news outlet Politico that Zelenskyy “doesn’t have anything until I approve it”. “So we’ll see what he’s got.”
Ahead of the talks, Zelenskyy had met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and they joined a call with European leaders and president of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday local time.
Zelenskyy confirmed on social media that the group of leaders would meet again after his meeting with Trump.
What’s in the 20-point peace plan?
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy offered details of the draft 20-point peace proposal, which covers ceasefires, security guarantees for Ukraine, economic prosperity, education and Ukraine’s association with Europe.
One of the key sticking points from the proposal is the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been controlled by Russia since March 2022.
Russia has announced plans to connect the nuclear facility to its power grid, while its forces continue pummelling Ukraine’s energy infrastructures, causing blackouts during winter.
The US has proposed to operate the plant jointly by Ukraine, the US and Russia with each holding equal stakes in a joint enterprise, under US leadership.
But Ukraine proposed the power plant to be operated only by the US and Ukraine.
Another unresolved dispute included in the 20-point proposal is the territorial issue around parts of Donbas, where Russia wants Ukraine to cede control.
Ukraine insisted fighting be halted at current battle lines, while the US suggested turning the Ukraine-controlled parts of Donbas into demilitarised zones and a free economic zone.
The proposed 20-point plan also stated that Ukraine would become a European Union member at a “specifically defined date”, receive security guarantees and maintain the size of its armed forces.
In Canada, Zelenskyy told reporters that security guarantees would be a key focus of the talks in Florida.
“Security guarantees must be simultaneous with the end of the war, because we must be confident that Russia will not start aggression again,” he said.
How has Russia responded to the plan?
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier stated a peace deal should be based on the principles of the conditions he set out in 2024, including Ukraine withdrawing from all of Donbas, ceding control of Zaphorizhzhia, and renouncing its aim to join NATO.
But Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that in a talk with some of Russia’s top businessmen on Wednesday, Putin signalled that he’s open to territory swap with Ukraine, but insisted he wanted all of Donbas.
Zelenskyy said he couldn’t tell if the meeting on Sunday would lead to signing any agreements.
He said he would also discuss additional pressure on Russia with Trump.
— With additional reporting from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
